Things just keep getting worse and worse here in Vietnam in relation to Covid restrictions. First they shut down pubs, then they shut down dine-in at restaurants, then they shut down retailers deemed non-essential, then they shut down delivery, then they shut down take-away for restaurants and now they have basically confined us to our individual neighborhoods.
This is as close as I could get to one of the barricades because there were overzealous guys with uniforms on blowing a whistle at me as I approached and they became increasingly aggressive with each step forward that I took. I had no intention of crossing the barrier anyway but if there's one thing I have learned about people with a tiny bit of authority in their hands over the years, they like to use it as much as they can. I don't even think the guy was a police officer but I am one of those guys that tends to avoid confrontation if possible.
I can't comment on the other parts of this area but basically our area that we are allowed to access looks something like this.
Exercise was banned quite a while ago, so that isn't really the issue. The major issue that we are facing in my area is that this part of town is largely populated by expats and the few shops that are still open to acquire food tend to want you to pay for said items when you go shopping there.
We have one functioning ATM machine in this area and it is routinely out of money. There also doesn't seem to be a very big priority placed on restocking it when it runs out. I would like to think that because of the technology involved in an ATM machine, that it would let the bank know when it is empty, but there have already been 2-3 day stretches where there was no money it it at all.
This has lead to hording of cash, so when it does get refilled, the word spreads quickly and people jump in the vestibule and take out much more money than they actually need and the fact that this is happening kind of says a lot about humanity. In order for you to have much more money than you actually need you are depriving a dozen other people from having any at all.
There is word circulating that things are going to get even worse starting tomorrow. I have been hearing rumors that after midnight tomorrow that we are not even going to be allowed out of our houses / apartment buildings for any reasons other than medical ones.
Have any of you been subjected to this (well, the ones that don't live in Vietnam anyway)?